alpha whiskey

Me too.... Sailed on Arvia in April and just back from Britannia. My vote is definitely for Arvia. So much more choice from dining to entertain. Lovely new ship too, whereas Britannia is just beginning to show her age a little.

We were also on the Britannia cruise with Skagen as a missed port. We won't be claiming as we were not out of pocket with any expenses. Different matter if we had suffered non refundable independent shore excursions. Does anyone else think like me, or am I daft?

Thank you Selbourne for all your reviews. We were also on this cruise, and couldn't have reviewed it any better ourselves. Unfortunately we also had neighbours that were vocal. Adults this time, that were obviously not getting along so well with one another. Language that even made my husband blush, and he was used to working on many a building site in London! We were also witness to some very poor restaurants habits, but thankfully also some impeccably behaved young souls, who were an absolute credit to their parents. We are off on Celebrity in a few weeks time....twice the price of P&O, but will it be twice as good?! 🤔

Just back from Britannia this morning. No hand soap in our balcony cabin. No big deal because after reading these threads I had packed my own. Cabin steward was fine in providing facecloths, replaced every day, and I didn't want to stress him out over hand soap. Plenty tea and coffee, replenished nicely each day, but no biscuits. Again no problem as digestives are available from Horizon buffet if you are fancying a dunk. Now, the effectiveness of the hair dryer....that's a different matter!! Definitely bring your own for Britannia, but they are fine on Arvia and Iona.

Yes definitely an American plug on the hairdryer on Britannia, and incredibly slow. It has the whirr of an annoying gnat! Advisable to bring your own if you have longish or thick hair.

Good to hear that you got your insurance and happy with the price too. Are you able to share who you are insured with? DH had successful vascular surgery just over 2 years ago, with no problems since, but insurance has proved to be an expensive challenge!

+1

Instead of the usual ribbon on handle, I put an identifier GB (car) sticker on my case last time, hoping they would think it belonged to Gary Barlow and treat it differently....Nope, that didn't work! 🤣

Or you could just jump on this bus.....

Was gutted that this show was cancelled on our last Arvia cruise due to illness/injury. Fingers crossed for Iona in the New Year🤞

It would just seem so sensible to let you choose your own arrival time, as other cruise lines do. We live reasonably local to Southampton and don't want an early boarding time as I plan to work an early morning shift on the day of our cruise. 12.30 would be of little use to us too, and we would be arriving much later.

Full P&O surveys received via email from cruises on Iona in January and Arvia in April. Also Feefo, which I don't complete.

First seen by us on Princess. Obviously now evolving across Carnival!

Based on our experiences, you won't be disappointed, although my soft spot does lie with Iona😉 We are certainly not in the first flush of youth either! 🤣😭

Oh yes please! 🙏 For all restaurants 😊 I did put something to that effect in the last survey. Deciding what to eat for lunch (whether going ashore or on a sea day) does have bearing depending what your evening choices are. At present you are unable to see MDR evening menus until after the lunch service. Post them in the app, on stateroom TV, or Horizon, I am not really fussy!

I don't really mind when the theatre opens it's doors and whether people choose to queue beforehand. However, I wish they would CLOSE the doors just before the performance is about to start. Nothing worse than people milling about looking for seats once the show has started.

I'll put good money down that they will do a one to one chat with you, and somehow I will live with the fact that they have probably just lost my phone number!! 🤣🤣

We didn't book onboard, but we got the same survey/email after booking Britannia earlier this month. We are definitely not special nor loyal to P&O as we mix up our cruise lines depending on who's offering what! We are a lowly Pacific tier, and definitely don't have a 'P' against our name 😭 I filled it in and sent it off, but didn't get anything back as a thank you!! 🤣 You might be more lucky though 😉 Do come back and let us know!

Not quite as slick as Iona, (great restaurant manager in Coral as you have previously pointed out 👍) Never a major problem on Arvia that I can remember. We probably used the MDR about 50%. Preferred Zenith over Meridian. Certainly never went hungry or had to change any plans. Always got a table for 2. Dined at about 6.15 (give or take) If asked to choose my favourite ship out of the 2, my vote would go to Iona, but would also jump back on Arvia in a heartbeat! 🤣😉

Just to add to these very well documented threads... We sailed on Iona in January and Arvia in April this year. Queuing and waiting did not impact on our holiday enjoyment. Longest ever wait was 20 mins for a shuttle bus. Have waited for buses much longer at home! We did reserve spaces at entertainment venues/dining prior to cruise and the 'app' worked well for 90% of the time. We are off on Britannia in a few weeks and will be very happy if we experience more of the same. Have a lovely time 😊

If Alesund is on your itinerary you may all enjoy (!) a walk up the 400 steps to Mount Aksla, depending on the weather and everyone's mobility. There are plenty of places to rest on the way up, and different viewpoints. The view at the top is just 'WOW' It will definitely be a different type of walk for your children...and you! As the ship docks you can see the steps winding up the side of the Mount ...and so the challenge begins! Link below might explain it a bit better than me! https://www.lifeinnorway.net/aksla-alesund-viewpoint/

Well jel! Wishing you safe travels and lots of fun.

And Good luck to them all! Young and enthusiastic at the start of their careers. We all started somewhere!

Would love to follow along on your Disney adventures if you are able to post. Have the best time ever 🌞